scientific article; zbMATH DE number 15296
[For the entire collection see Zbl 0694.00022.] The author gives cohomological conditions for a map \(f: BG\rightarrow BH\) between classifying spaces of groups to be null-homotopic. The main result says that if \(G\) is either a locally finite discrete group or a compact connected Lie group, and \(H\) is either a finite discrete group, a compact Lie group or a topological group of the homotopy type of a finite complex with torsion-free integral cohomology, then \(f\) is null-homotopic if and only if it induces a trivial homomorphism in either connective or periodic complex K-theory. Under stronger assumptions on \(G\) and \(H\), \(f\) is null-homotopic whenever the induced homomorphism in integral cohomology is trivial. The proof of the theorem relies on the Sullivan conjecture, proved by \textit{H. Miller} [Ann. Math., II. Ser. 120, 39-87 (1984; Zbl 0552.55014)]; and on the homotopy approximation of classifying spaces of compact Lie groups by classifying spaces of finite groups developed by \textit{E. M. Friedlander} and \textit{G. Mislin} [Comment. Math. Helv. 59, 347-361 (1984; Zbl 0548.55016)]. The paper appeared with a substantial delay. It is probably the last published work of Alex Zabrodsky, who died in 1986. The results of the paper gave a starting point for many developments on the homotopy classification of maps between classifying spaces. \textit{W. Dwyer} and the author [Lect. Notes Math. 1298, 106-119 (1987; Zbl 0646.55007)] gave a desccription of the mapping space \(\text{map}(BP,BG)\), where \(P\) is a finite \(p\)-group and \(G\) is a compact Lie group. Using this result, \textit{G. Mislin} [Q. J. Math., Oxf. II. Ser. 38, 245-257 (1987; Zbl 0625.55013)] extended Zabrodsky's observation that a self map \(f: BSU(2)\rightarrow BSU(2)\) is null-homotopic iff \(H^*(f;{\mathbb{Z}})=0\) by showing that two maps \(f,g: BSU(2)\rightarrow BSU(2)\) are homotopic iff \(H^*(f;{\mathbb{Z}})=H^*(g;{\mathbb{Z}}).\) The reviewer, J. McClure and B. Oliver used the Dwyer-Zabrodsky theorem (and a new homotopy approximation technique) to describe the space \(\text{map}(BG,BG)\) for an arbitrary compact simple Lie group \(G\). A survey of the above-mentioned results, including Zabrodsky's work, can be found in a paper of the reviewer, \textit{J. McClure} and \textit{B. Oliver} [Homotopy theory of classifying spaces of compact Lie groups, Proc. Algebraic Topology Year at MSRI, Berkeley].
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